Innocuous
by Aetherwolf
Summary: Chou Anei-A Visored- wants no part in the war between the Shinigami and the Arrancar. Not even her own kin can convince her. Why she wants no part is of her own reasons, dark reasons. But when she manages to slip up and when her past catches up to her, she better figure out what is really worth fighting for... before she is pushed off edge.
1. Prologue

_White washed walls. _

_Everything was white in here. It was a bland, yet haunting color. It seemed endless in itself, but yet is was a restriction of being. _

_Sluggishly, I pressed myself against the wall, letting my blood trickle and stain the wall red. My hair was caked in it, and it was stuck deep into the fabric of my black robes. I was a paint splatter, a stain on this canvas of a room. My sword was pressed against my side, feeling like lead too heavy to lift. _

_A bright gleam of metal catches my attention, even as my vision is blurred with exhaustion and the loss of blood. _

_However, my hearing is sharp, as that sickening chuckle seeps in. _

_"K-" I managed to sputter, pathetically attempting to lift my sword towards him."K-keep away from me!" I could feel myself trembling, scrambling as I desperately tried to escape, despite the heavy chains that bounded my ankle. _

_"Now now, don't be like that sister." he said, his form drawing closer. _

_"D...don't... call me that..." Each time I breathed, it felt so painful... _

_I let out a strangled gasp as a firm hand clenched around my face, lifting me up from the floor. My back slammed into the wall harshly, making my wounds spatter blood again. I groaned at the sudden shock of pain. _

_"We still have a little more time to play, after all." He said, a bright light beginning to glow in his hand. _

_I let out a scream, trying to break out of his grip. Brighter and brighter it got, until all I could see was white..._


	2. Chapter One

The streets of the small, surburban town was quite peaceful... for now...

It was a quiet part of the day, with only the sound of the wind and the occasional car passing through. At this time, most were either attending school or were busy at work. The only real signs of life were the birds gliding into the sky and a few stray animals.

This was a particular day for me. Even though I knew that nobody would notice me at this time, it made the stroll in the sky feel a little better when there was less people around. The less distractions there were, the easier it was for me to think deeper.

These were times that I was grateful that I could go beyond boundaries where humans could not, like being able to walk through the bright blue sky as if I was human walking upon the actual ground. There was nothing in this vast part of the sky... just me. And other times... it reminded me how alone I was in this world. The wind picked up a little, blowing my shoulder-length dark hair into my face. I didn't bother to brush the strands away, knowing that it would just come flying back again. It actually felt nice, as if my hair was trying mask my face away from the slight chill. I closed my eyes so at least the strands wouldn't get into my eyes.

That was when I sensed him.

I didn't need to see him. It was just the instinct of knowing that someone was approaching within range, and knowing who it was, that went off inside me. And I knew exactly why he was here.

"Hirako. Stop hiding already." I called out.

A chuckle was what I recieved in reply. "Don't say my name like that, it sounds like you hate me or somethin'. After all, I thought we were friends here?"

My eyes narrowed. "I don't remember ever saying that we were," I stated flatly. Turning around, I came to face him. His blonde hair was swept across his face-thanks to the wind-but it did not conceal his wily smile, as if he was making some kinda joke. But I didn't find him funny at all. Underneath that smile was something scheming.

A sudden thick gust of wind howled for a few moments. During that time, I couldn't supress my smirk of amusement at his priceless expression as his striped tie smacked him right between the eyes. It was a little cute how he went cross-eyed, cute as in amusing. Not as in attractive.

When the wind slowly died down, he noticed me inwardly laughing at him. "Whats so funny?" He whined, rubbing his face.

I finally let out a snigger. "Nothin."

He frowned, crossing his arms. I wondered if he knew that there was a slightly light red mark that was branded between his eyes? "I swear, you're just as bad as Hiyori," he sighed. "I'm just glad that you don't go kickin' my face every time we meet... N-not to give you any ideas!" He added quickly.

_Well, I guess that's why your face looks so flat... _I thought caustically, though I didn't dare say it out loud. I had the decency at least not to make fun of people just because of their looks. After awhile, Hirako finally gained some composure. He opened his mouth to speak, and judging by the look in his eyes, I knew what was coming next.

"Hey, I need to ask-"

"No."

As soon as my answer slipped from me, immediately, the air went from humorous to tense. Though the day was sunny, it felt as if the atmosphere had darkened. I guess it did really, as the clouds drifted above, hiding the sun. It casted a shadow over the both of us. Our eyes met, staring down each other, none of us wanted to back down. The silence seemed to make the vast space of the sky grow wider.

Not being able to tolerate the stillness any longer, he began to speak again. "Ah, nothing seems to change your mind, does it Anei?" He shut his eyes, scrunching his face up a bit as he scratched his head. "But I mean, why?" He asked, even though he knew what the answer was.

"I told you Hirako." I said tiredly, shoving my hands into my grey cargo pockets. "This isn't my fight. I don't want... _justice... _if you want to call it that. What has happened in the past stays in the past. I only go foward, and getting involved will only drag me back."

His response to this was, "What about Aizen?"

I froze.

_Aizen._

A dull, yet tight feeling twisted inside the pit of me. I turned my back to him, bending my head down and gritting my teeth. Inside my pocket, my hands clenched into fists.

"That's none of your business." I replied, feeling a slight growl in the back of my throat. The feelings of frustration and anger was rushing through me, though I tried to conceal this.

_I thought I had finally departed myself from that, _I thought. But then again, who could really get over something like that? But still...

"Anei?"

I jumped, realizing how close he had gotten. His fingers had barely touched my arm before I lept away from him.

I then saw that inside his eyes were... guilt. "Hey... if that was a touchy subject for you, sorry..." He said apologetically. He fidgeted, as if he was unsure what to say next, and this is Hirako Shinji we're talking about here, who just knew every wisecrack and response there was.

Sensing his sincerity, I sighed, relaxing.

"Don't worry, it wasn't your fault." It wasn't really. In fact, I shouldn't had let it get to me. It's just a bit... I don't want to talk about..." I looked past his shoulder into the sky, my mind lost in the clouds. There was nothing going on through my head but just a never-ending blank.

"I understand," He said, grabbing my eye contact. Hirako continued, "But I do want you to consider my request." He cautiously drew closer, stopping about a foot away, as if he was trying not to scare me off. Despite his efforts though, I felt uncomfortable under his gaze, and I turned away from him again.

What he said next, however, caught me off guard.

"We need you Chou."

The wind howled again, but blowing a bit more gently this time. My hair blustered with the wind, hiding my shocked expression.

When I finallly gained some composure, I looked over my shoulder and stated, "That's the first time you've called me by my first name."

He broke out into one of his infamous sly smiles again. But his eyes still were serious. "Well, there is a first for everything, right? Besides that though,.." Hirako grasped my wrist lightly, as if he was trying to keep me from escaping, but trying not to scare me. "We do need you. The Visored, they need _you_. You're probably one of the oldest Visored. And you probably know more about being one than any of us. We need your knowledge, as much as it doesn't look like it. We've copedd long enough to know a little... But we need guidance." His tone-shockingly-almost sounded as if he was begging.

"Please, Chou. Not only for my sake, but for the other Visored..."

He made me think there, his words were true. I was older than their small loose-knit group, and probably did know much more than they did. And from what I knew, they probably hadn't ventured even a quarter of what a hybrid's potential could go, something that they would need to know.

But, I could not join their side. That would just mean I would be getting involved into a war I never wanted to be involved in the first place. It sounded selfish, but I wouldn't do it.

"My answer is still going to be the same." I said, a little less firmly this time, but still strong.

He took in my answer before he sighed in defeat, letting go of my wrist. "There's no way I can convince you then?"

I shook my head, and replied, "I'm sorry."

We didn't look at each other, unsure as what to say next. I knew how much it would mean for him if I did agree. And I did feel a little guilty saying no just because I didn't want to get involved. I had to stay firm with my own beliefs though. What I at least could do was to say sorry, but even if I said many times, it probably could never compensate.

Just when I was about to apologize again, his face brightened up suddenly. "Fine, I'm not going to give up on asking until you finally decide to say yes." he announced, smile growing wide.

I had a sweat drop moment there, groaning.

"Seriously, will you ever learn?"

"Nope." He said proudly. His hand came out of nowhere and started ruffling my hair roughly. "Gah! What the hell Hirako?" I exclaimed, trying to get out of his grip. But he just kept on smiling. Damnit! Why did he have to be so freaking tall?!

"Chou, you should really stop calling me by my last name." he chuckled, finally letting go. "It isn't that hard to just call me Shinji, is it?"

"Whatever Hira-err... Shinji..." It felt weird, adressing him by first name.

"So..." I continued, squirming a bit. "I guess you're serious then... about not giving up?"

Hira-no-Shinji, nodded. "It would be a waste." He spun around, and started walking. "And besides, you're just too interesting for me to give up on just yet. I will ask you again, soon." He held up his hand, waving as he slowly grew farther away.

"Until then, I guess." I said, a bit grudingly, waving back pointlessly. I just watched him as he drifted away. He slowly became nothing more than a speck, and then he disappeared. As I watched him, his words ran through my head again.

_You're just too interesting for me to give up on just yet._

Why did those words make me shudder?

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, let me say a disclaimer. I do not OWN Bleach (I wish...). It rightfully belongs to Tite Kubo! This is just a fanfic. Please don't flame or kill me! I haven't written any fanfictions for at least two years (maybe three?) and I only just got into Bleach recently. I have a good knowledge about the broadsworth of it, but it's the small details that Im not sure on, so if I mess up, I am a thousand times SORRY!**

**Please go easy on me... please...**

**-Savvy**


	3. Chapter Two

_You're just too interesting for me to give up on just yet._

Why did those words make me shudder?

* * *

Shaking my head, I let myself drift into the other direction.

The talk with Shinji... it hit home, unlike the other exchanges we had before. Before, he would be just trying to convince me to join his little group. I thought his efforts were both in vain and were pretty pathetic actually. In a way, it reminded me of a little kid trying to get the older kid to play with them with no success. This time, however, he had brought up a sensitive issue. His question was still inquiring in my head.

_What about Aizen?_

I knew that it wasn't really Shinji's fault, since he didn't know any better, but I still felt my jaw tighten when his question echoed through my head. But it was that name that he mentioned that made me angry, not Shinji. The only name that could cause so much turmoil in me. It made my blood boil, yet chilled my bones. Enough to make me feel such hatred...

...Maybe I was angry at Shinji for mentioning that damn name around me in the first place...

_He didn't know Chou, so of course he's going to ask you about it. __So you need to chill. _I thought to myself, sighing.

It wasn't worth it getting exhausted such negative emotions. It was a logical way to think, but not as easy to act upon or accept. It took much patience to acquire the ability to set such feelings aside. Even living as long as I have, it still was difficult to do at times, especially when I did this practically everyday. So, instead of fighting these emotions, I chose to escape them.

And that source escape was music.

I slid my hand into my pocket, drawing out my iPod. I turned it on while I place the buds into my ears. I set it to shuffle, not caring what song started playing. As long as it was music, it was completely fine.

**_Two, three, four  
woo-hoo, woo-hoo  
woo-hoo, woo-hoo_**

The slow yet steady beat of the drum and the strained strumming of guitar immediately began to soothe me. I closed my eyes, listening to her voice.

**_Well my heart knows me better than I know myself_**  
**_So I'm gonna let it do all the talking._**

_"I told you Hirako..."_

_Why does he keep asking? Can't he see why? If only he could see inside of me to understand._

**_I came across a place in the middle of nowhere  
With a big black horse and a cherry tree._**

_The sky was so vast, open to anything. You knew exactly where to go... but you could also get lost. _

**_I felt a little fear upon my back  
I said "Don't look back, just keep on walking."_**

_I shove my hands into my pockets. "__What has happened in the past stays in the past. I only go foward, and getting involved will only drag me back." _

_But what I didn't let him see was how cold I felt. The fear, the fear of facing the past. However, I just swallowed it down, waiting for his reply. _

**_And the big black horse said looked this way, he said "Hey lady, will you marry me?"_**

_What he said next, however, caught me off guard._

_"We need you Chou."_

_That was the first time anyone had said out loud that they needed me._

**_But I said no, no, no,no-no-no  
_****_I said no, no, you're not the one for me  
_****_no, no, no,no-no-no  
_****_I _****_said no, no, you're not the one for me_**

_His words were pleading... tempting..._

_Should I...?_

_No, I swore this... I swore that I would never involve myself in any fight, in any war. Even if it meant sounding selfish. _

_"Please, Chou. Not only for my sake, but for the other Visored..."_

_"I'm sorry."_

_**Big black horse and a cherry tree  
****I can't quite get there cause my hearts forsaken me yeah yeah yeah  
big black horse and a cherry tree  
I can't quite get there cause my hearts forsaken me  
**_

_It wasn't moving forward that scare me, but to moving back. And accepting his offer would be facing that dark place... the very place that I thought I would never free myself from. So heavenly it looked to those outside the door, not realizing behind it was something so secret, so evil... It was a guise of white, covering the bloodied stains and the screams that haunted me. _

_Could I really move on with such a past still locked inside me? _

I shuddered, realizing that the song had finished, shifting to the next. I popped out the buds from my ears, feeling the sounds of the outside world come pouring back in. As soon as this was done, I felt the sweat collected around my palms, and my stomach began to churn. Around me, everything became a messy wave of colors. My head was pounding, and a high pitch buzzing noise filled in my hearing. Limbs beginning to wobble, I felt myself falter at the sudden sickness.

_Aw shit... Not now... _I thought in exhausted frustration, trying to fight the spell. I clutched myself, trying to steady my breathing. The trembling became worse as I tried to steady myself, hoping with all I had that I wouldn't fall from the sky. The fall wouldn't kill me, but I wasn't in the mood for any humans to discover me and make up some weird nonsense that I was an alien or something... But worse yet, I could guess that any Hollows or anyone with some sort of spiritual power would be able to sense my conflicting reiatsu flaring up.

_I... I need to get out of here... before someone... _I stopped thinking, knowing that it would do me no good at this point. I was a sitting target for any Hollow in the area, being in such a weakened position. I needed to take action, but I was stuck.

This happened everytime I delved too deep into that place. That familiar sickness I felt. It was like a fever, overwhelming any senses I had left. Even in the bright warmth of the sun, I felt the cold blanket of an endless night smother me with it's presence. It wanted to consume me until I became nothing. It wanted to drive me into madness. It hid behind every corner, just ready to strike when I was least expecting it.

It was me.

I managed to fight back the trembling to at least drift down to the ground. As soon as my feet hit the surface however, immediately my limbs turned into jelly and I collapsed onto the concrete to my knees.

The bile had finally risen out from me and made it's way onto the ground, forming a small pool of yellow. I coughed violently, trying to spit out the vile after taste of the liquid. It trickled down my chin, making me feel slightly disgusted. This continued for a few minutes until finally there was nothing left to spit out. When I was sure of this, I brought the sleeve of my jacket to my chin to wipe the stuff off. Disgusting yes, but I could wash it later when I got home.

_Speaking of which... I can't just sit here... I need to get back home... or at least a place where no one will spot me. _

But when I somehow managed to get to my feet, I knew that thought had come too late.

"Are you alright?!"

Shit. Someone had spotted me. Knowing that there was no point in trying to ignore whoever it was, I glanced over my shoulder with all the casualty I could muster. I didn't want to show any weakness in my state, especially to a stranger.

Running toward me was a young female. Though she was attractive enough, her features were marred by the various bandages and the cast that decorated her. What happened was left to one's imagination, but they didn't seem to hinder her as she still kept running.

Again, she repeated, "Are you alright?!"

_No shit. I just was feeling nauseous, but now I'm sunshine and rainbows. _I thought, mentally rolling my eyes in slight irritation. But I didn't say this out loud, because she actually did seem concerned. Even when I had never seen her in my life, the concern in her eyes made it as if we were close friends for a long time. So I kept my internal mouth shut from speaking out any rude comments.

When I spoke, there was a scratchy rasp that made my voice go soft. "I'm fine... Just feeling a little sick." I turned my head away from her, not wanting to make eye contact.

"But you're pale and shaking!" She said, clasping her hand onto my shoulder. She tilted her head, trying to look at me in the face. "And you just threw up back there! You need to get to a doctor!"

I chuckled at her concern. Despite my weakened state, I think she was blowing up this situation a bit out of proportion. It wasn't like I was on the verge of death, even though it felt like it previously and I probably looked even worse. But I knew how it was truly was to be on the verge of death, and it was sure a heck of a lot worse than now. "I-I'm fine. I just need to get home..."

"B-but-"

I waved her off, but this time, added a bit of firmness into my voice. "Hey, I said I'm fine girl. Besides... shouldn't you be in school for someone your age?"

She went suddenly quiet. I wondered if I offended her in any way. I managed to look back at her, feeling a bit more composed. "Hey, I didn't mean-"

Her brown eyes kept staring at me. In a curious, innocent way, as if she was trying to figure out something. I flinched slightly at the sudden attention, wondering what was going on in that head of hers. "E-excuse me, but what are you-"

"You're... different." she said, cutting me off.

I froze.

What... did she just...?

"Not in a mean way, but... different." She said. Tilting her head, she asked, "Who are you?"

I was so distracted before, I didn't sense it. But now that my senses had cleared a bit, I now realized the spiritual energy that was radiating off of her. It wasn't threatning or overwhelming. In fact, it was quite average. It was there though. And that was bad.

She figured that I wasn't a normal human. Whether or not she actually knew my identity, I wasn't sure of. What I did know though was that I needed to get her off my back. And fast. I had to think fast for answers, even if it sounded stupid. Stupid was better than nothing.

"Erm, I don't know what you're talking about." I said, trying to move away from her.

But she was persistant, and followed me. _Damn, this girl isn't going to give up! _I thought, trying to hurry my pace despite the fact that my legs were screaming in protest. It didn't help that the nausea was slowly returning, and with a vengance. It stabbed into my gut, threatning the possibilty of me spewing another round of bile. I couldn't let this girl keep on questioning me either. I couldn't trust her, not knowing who she was.

"Wait!"

_Damn it! Get away, get away! _I thought. I broke out into a desperate run, feeling the air instantly punching into my lungs. My legs were still trembling, but were able to push me into a steady momentum. I looked back, and saw that she was chasing me. _Oh for goodness sake! Give it up! _I pounded my feet into the ground, not caring how much it hurt. I wanted to lose her, no, I needed to lose her.

It felt like I was going to make a get away. I was sure of it as the distance between us grew farther and farther. I could hardly hear her foot steps behind me. The relief began to flood inside me as I really thought I escaped...

...all too soon.

My chest began to twist into a painful knot, making me gasp out. I blinked a few times, and sure enough, my vision was blurred. The vigor that once inhibited me began to seep away from me, and I gradually became the messy state I was in before. I could hear her steps gaining on me, and I made the mistake to look back again. In just a few more strides, she would get me. I felt panic rise inside of me which flushed out the relieving triumph I felt before. N_o! Just stop! Stop chasing me! _I thought, feeling my knees lock. Feeling myself pitch forward, I prepared for the worst.

I felt my body crumple into... something soft? Confusion snapped through the desperation I had before. While the surface was soft, it was also solid at the same time. Did the street always feel this comfortable?

That was when I realized that I was still upright. I can't say that I was standing because my legs were in a slouch, but I wasn't crashed out onto the ground either. Which made me even more confused. _W-wha? _I felt arms lift me upright, making me gasp softly in surprise. _So... I ran into a person? But who...? _More questions ran faster in my head as I was pulled close in contact with whomever this was, as if they knew me.

"Hey, what did I tell you about running around while you're sick?" A voice chuckled.

I went stiff in the the person's grip. Recognition hit my mind as soon as that voice spoke to me. Horrified recognition, actually, as I tried to push myself away. While the grip around me was steady, I was able to look up to see who it was. My hunch was right, as I felt myself go even more stiff, if that was possible. I was looking up at the grinning face of Shinji.

"Long time no see eh?"

_Wait... huh... I'm so confused... didn't he already leave...?_

"Ah! Shinji-kun!"

In my confusion, I almost forgot about the girl. She knew Shinji? That couldn't be good...

What now? It was obvious Shinji wasn't going to let me go, seeing the state I was in, but that girl was going to... My mind began to spin with all the pressure that was going on...

"S-shinji..." I managed to whisper, but he placed a finger on my lips. Even though he was still grinning like a freak, his eyes were serious. He leaned foward, whispering in my ear, "Don't worry. Just leave it to me. You can explain later." Too exhausted and stressed at this point to argue, I nodded. Then I completely succumbed to the exhaustion, knowing that for now, I was in good hands...

At least I hoped so.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Well, that chapter was a bit crazy. But then again, Chou did more than she should've being sick and all. **

**I'll come back to edit this later probably in the long run. But I just needed to get this out before I forgot. So, for now, I hope you guys enjoyed Innocuous despite many of the errors that were probably in here. **

**It's weird. I know exactly where this story is going, yet I don't. Eh, well, I guess I'll figure it all out later. **

**Dedicated to PoeticJustice (thefirecrest) for being the first to review and giving me good advice! BTW PJ, I changed the beginning a bit, so if you want to look at it later, go ahead. **

**If any of you have any constructive criticsm to share, go ahead! :) Flames will probably be inhaled unless they have a good point. **

**Oh yeah, the lyrics I used are from KT Tunstall's _Black Horse and the Cherry_ Tree**. **Why that song? Well, you can figure that out or have your own intepretations, right? ;)**

**Until the next chapter!**

**-Savvy**


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